Editing Guildhall, Vermont

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
<!-- Infobox begins. Additional parameter fields maybe available at Template:Infobox settlement -->
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Guildhall, Vermont
|other_name               =
|native_name              = <!-- for cities whose native name is not in English -->
|nickname                 =
|settlement_type          = Town
|motto                    =
|image_skyline            = Guildhall, Vermont.jpg
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|image_blank_emblem       =
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|image_map                = Essex County Vermont incorporated and unincorporated areas Guildhall highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 260px
|map_caption              = Location in [[Essex County, Vermont|Essex County]] and the state of [[Vermont]].
|image_map1               = Map of USA VT.svg
|mapsize1                 = 195px
|map_caption1             = Location of Vermont in the United States
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Vermont]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Vermont|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Essex County, Vermont|Essex]]
|subdivision_type3        =
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|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           =
|area_total_km2           = 85.7
|area_land_km2            = 84.9
|area_water_km2           = 0.8
|area_total_sq_mi         = 
|area_land_sq_mi          = 
|area_water_sq_mi         = 
|area_water_percent       =
|population_as_of         = 2020
|population_footnotes     =
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|population_total         = 262
|population_density_km2   = 3.1
|population_density_sq_mi = 
|population_blank1_title          = Households
|population_blank1                = 
|population_blank2_title          = Families
|population_blank2                = 
|timezone                 = [[Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
|utc_offset               = -5
|timezone_DST             = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]
|utc_offset_DST           = -4
|coordinates              = {{coord|44|32|47|N|71|36|38|W|region:US-VT|display=inline,title}}
|elevation_footnotes      = <!--for references: use <ref> </ref> tags-->
|elevation_m              = 572
|elevation_ft             = 1877
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 05905
|area_code                = [[Area code 802|802]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 50-30775<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 1462111<ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=October 25, 2007}}</ref>
|website                  = {{URL|www.guildhallvt.org}}
|footnotes                =
}}
<!-- Infobox ends -->

'''Guildhall''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|g|ɪ|l|h|ɔː|l}} {{respell|GIL|hawl}}) is a [[New England town|town]] in and the shire town<ref>[http://www.leg.state.vt.us/statutes/fullsection.cfm?Title=24&Chapter=001&Section=00006 Title 24, Part I, Chapter 1, §6], Vermont Statutes.  Accessed November 1, 2007.</ref> ([[county seat]])<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|access-date=June 7, 2011|title=Find a County|publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref> of [[Essex County, Vermont|Essex County]], [[Vermont]], United States. As of the [[2020 United States Census|2020 census]], the population was 262.<ref name="Census 2020">{{cite web| url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0600000US5000930775| title=Census - Geography Profile - Guildhall town, Essex County, Vermont| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| access-date=November 16, 2021}}</ref> According to a large sign in the town center, it is the only town in the world so named. The name derives from a meeting house on the square called the Guildhall.

Guildhall is part of the [[Berlin, New Hampshire|Berlin]], [[New Hampshire]] [[Berlin, New Hampshire micropolitan area|&ndash; Vermont Micropolitan Statistical Area]].

==Geography==

Guildhall is in northeastern Vermont, along the [[Connecticut River]], the border between Vermont and [[New Hampshire]]. The town is bordered to the southwest by [[Lunenburg, Vermont|Lunenburg]], to the northwest by [[Granby, Vermont|Granby]], and to the north by [[Maidstone, Vermont]]. To the southeast, across the Connecticut, are the towns of [[Northumberland, New Hampshire|Northumberland]] and [[Lancaster, New Hampshire]].

[[U.S. Route 2]] passes through the southern corner of the town, leading west into Lunenburg and east across the Connecticut into Lancaster. [[Vermont Route 102]] runs north from Route 2 and follows the Connecticut into Maidstone.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town of Guildhall has a total area of {{convert|85.7|sqkm|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|84.9|sqkm|order=flip}} is land and {{convert|0.8|sqkm|order=flip|1}}, or 0.94%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/0600000US5000930775| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Guildhall town, Essex County, Vermont| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| work=American Factfinder| access-date=April 5, 2016| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213125731/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/0600000US5000930775| archive-date=February 13, 2020| url-status=dead}}</ref>

The highest point is Stone Mountain, in the western part of town, with an elevation of {{convert|2736|ft}}.

==Demographics==

{{US Census population
|1790= 158
|1800= 296
|1810= 544
|1820= 529
|1830= 481
|1840= 470
|1850= 501
|1860= 552
|1870= 483
|1880= 558
|1890= 511
|1900= 455
|1910= 445
|1920= 376
|1930= 351
|1940= 313
|1950= 270
|1960= 248
|1970= 169
|1980= 202
|1990= 270
|2000= 268
|2010= 261
|2020= 262
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=May 16, 2015}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 268 people, 106 households, and 76 families living in the town.  The population density was {{convert|8.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 151 housing units at an average density of {{convert|4.6|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the town was 95.15% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.37% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.37% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 4.10% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.75% of the population.

There were 106 households, out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.5% were couples living together and joined in either [[marriage]] or [[Civil Union|civil union]], 4.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.3% were non-families. 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.3% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 21.3% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.7 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $31,750, and the median income for a family was $38,958. Males had a median income of $30,313 versus $23,438 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $17,326.  About 10.4% of families and 10.3% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 6.3% of those under the age of eighteen and 22.0% of those 65 or over.
[[File:Guildhall Library ca1901 Vermont.jpg|thumb|left|Guildhall Public Library, {{circa|1901}}]]

==Climate==
This [[climate|climatic]] region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters.  According to the [[Köppen Climate Classification]] system, Guildhall has a [[humid continental climate]], abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.<ref>[http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=432672&cityname=Guildhall%2C+Vermont%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Guildhall, Vermont]</ref>

==History==
Guildhall was chartered by New Hampshire's colonial  governor, [[Benning Wentworth]], in 1761.<ref name="NorthStar">{{cite news |date=August 15, 2022 |orig-date=September 3, 2016  |title=Essex County: Guildhall |url=https://www.northstarmonthly.com/kingdom_guide/town_profiles_history/guildhall/article_b058bdc0-71f6-11e6-8f98-b72d24e9d433.html |work=Kingdom Guide |publisher=North Star Monthly |location=Danville, VT}}</ref> Its grantees and original settlers were from [[Lancaster, Massachusetts|Lancaster]] and [[Lunenburg, Massachusetts|Lunenburg]], Massachusetts, and they named towns on opposite sides of the Connecticut River in New Hampshire and Vermont for their Massachusetts hometowns.<ref name="NorthStar"/> The southern part of the original town of [[Lunenburg, Vermont]] was chartered as Lunenburg in 1763, while the northern portion was renamed Guildhall.<ref name="NorthStar"/>

After Guildhall was chartered, a small group of settlers built temporary cabins and camps and began to clear the land.<ref name="NorthStar"/> As the population began to grow, the first recorded town meeting took place in 1783.<ref name="NorthStar"/> Guildhall is heavily wooded, as are several other towns in Essex County, and lumbering was once a major portion of the local economy.<ref name="NorthStar"/> The [[Guildhall Village Historic District]] was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1980.<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref> The district includes Guildhall's village center and encompasses the central common and several nearby buildings.<ref name="nris"/>

==Notable people==
*[[Henry C. Bates]], lieutenant governor of Vermont and federal judge, resided in Guildhall<ref>{{cite book |last=Crockett |first=Walter Hill |date=1923 |title=Vermont: The Green Mountain State |volume=Five |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9W0jAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA245 |location=New York, NY |publisher=Century History Company |page=245 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
*[[Everett Chamberlin Benton]], Massachusetts business executive and politician, born in Guildhall<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.rockvillemama.com/essex/bentoneverettchamberlinjayb.txt |title=Men of Vermont |accessdate=November 19, 2009 |quote= |year=1891 }}</ref>
*[[Clem Bissonnette]], member of the [[Vermont House of Representatives]] and mayor of [[Winooski, Vermont]], resident of Guildhall<ref>{{cite news |date=October 8, 2020 |orig-date=October 7, 2020 |title=Election 2020: Candidate Clem Bissonnette; Essex-Caledonia House |url=https://www.caledonianrecord.com/elections/election-2020-candidate-clem-bissonnette/article_877b40e9-220b-5b15-9b65-145ccdb9ac04.html |work=[[The Caledonian-Record]] |location=St. Johnsbury, VT}}</ref>
*[[George N. Dale]], Vermont lieutenant governor, lived in Guildhall before moving to [[Island Pond, Vermont|Island Pond]]<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=9gI7AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA41 Necrology entry, George N. Dale], published in Proceedings of the Vermont Historical Society for 1903-04, 1905, pages 41 to 42</ref>
*[[Henry Willard Denison]], diplomatic advisor to the Japanese government, born in Guildhall<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.portsmouthpeacetreaty.com/lancaster.cfm |title=Henry Willard Denison, Son of Lancaster, Counsel to the Japanese Foreign Ministry |first= |last= |date= |publisher=Japan-America Society of New Hampshire |location=USA |accessdate=March 4, 2017 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160317043729/http://www.portsmouthpeacetreaty.com/lancaster.cfm |archivedate=March 17, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Samuel Read Hall]], educator and clergyman, raised in Guildhall<ref>{{cite news |last=Toussaint |first=Tennie Gaskill |date=August 2, 1967 |title=Monument Honors Founder: First Normal School in America Established in Concord Corner |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-burlington-free-press-hall/135352160/ |work=[[The Burlington Free Press]] |location=Burlington, VT |page=11 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
*[[Janice L. Peaslee]], member of the Vermont House of Representatives, resident of Guildhall<ref>{{Cite web |title=Politician with a soaring passion |url=https://suncommunitynews.com/news/51184/politician-with-a-soaring-passion/ |access-date=May 6, 2023 |website=suncommunitynews.com |language=en}}</ref>
*[[John S. Wells]], U.S. Senator from New Hampshire, lived in Guildhall<ref>{{cite book |last=Bell |first=Charles Henry |date=1888 |title=History of the Town of Exeter, New Hampshire |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ngo1AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA373 |location=Boston, MA |publisher=J. E. Farwell & Co. |page=373 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Guildhall, Vermont}}
* [http://www.guildhallvt.org/ Town of Guildhall official website]
* [https://www.flickr.com/photos/dougtone/sets/72157624844998996/with/4943890976/ A Flickr album of historic buildings]

{{Geographic location
 | Northwest = [[Granby, Vermont|Granby]]
 | North     = [[Maidstone, Vermont|Maidstone]]
 | Northeast = [[Maidstone, Vermont|Maidstone]]
 | West      = [[Victory, Vermont|Victory]]
 | Centre    = Guildhall
 | East      = [[Northumberland, New Hampshire|Northumberland, NH]]
 | Southwest = [[Lunenburg, Vermont|Lunenburg]]
 | South     = [[Lancaster, New Hampshire|Lancaster, NH]]
 | Southeast = [[Lancaster, New Hampshire|Lancaster, NH]]
}}
{{Essex County, Vermont}}
{{Connecticut River}}
{{Vermont county seats}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Guildhall, Vermont| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Vermont]]
[[Category:County seats in Vermont]]
[[Category:Berlin, New Hampshire micropolitan area]]
[[Category:Vermont populated places on the Connecticut River]]
[[Category:Towns in Essex County, Vermont]]